Motion control feedback solutions provider HEIDENHAIN, with US headquarters in Schaumburg, Illinois, has announced several major technical upgrades to the ERA 4000 angle encoder series, adding increased reliability and functionality. These bearingless encoders have been used in machines in the metrology, machine tool, semiconductor and robotic industries for decades. With these upgrades, the new ERA 4000 series offer increased accuracy, ease of use and logistical flexibility, while remaining mechanically compatible with past models.

HEIDENHAIN’s ERA 4000 angle encoders consist of a steel drum at various diameters with the 20-, 40- or 80-micron graduation on the outer diameter, and a scanning unit that reads the graduation. As an incremental system, there are reference marks available as distance-coded or one per revolution.

The most powerful upgrade to these encoders is the addition of HEIDENHAIN Signal Processing (HSP) to the scanning units. This feature is an added circuit where the LED is dynamically controlled, and where the scanning unit “learns” of the quality of signal coming back from the drum and then adjusts the LED intensity on the very next signal period. HSP operates in an analog way and increases the speed capabilities of the encoder system to 1 MHz scanning, a 285% increase.

HSP also powers through contaminations on the drum such as fingerprints, dust and liquid droplets, all without amplifying electrical noise. The result is improved reliability which results in less machine down time.

Two other upgrades to the scanning units are a status LED on the side of the scanning unit which provides unit status – helpful during the mounting process – and the addition of a smaller M12 connector which saves space and is more robust.

For more information, visit www.heidenhain.us.